Untold Secrets

Chapter 8

Hard decisions

Take a decision
Time passes by fast
Act and Fight
To make it last

I get out of the room, trying to get my surroundings. I was in an abandoned factory, the one I'd never been to since I was 8. It used to be, Cor and mine playground. We would come here and pretend to be some great warriors, conquer the lands and all. We never played with Barbie dolls or teddy bears, we always preferred something more adventurous. We'd come here also when we did some mistakes and wanted to hide from our parents. Gaia would find us and help us. She would ask our parents to forgive us and we would hide behind her, trying to be as invisible as possible. We'd promise not to do anything like that again and then repeat it. Again and again and again. We knew Gaia would take care of everything, she was good with words and everyone loved her. No one could say her no.
And now you're not here to help us.
There's a nod in my throat, but I refuse to cry. I'm not going to cry for her as people do for the loved ones they have lost.
I have not lost her and I'm not going to.
I get out of the factory and start going towards the bus stop. At least, I didn't end up in an unknown part of the city.
While I'm waiting for the bus, I think about Daemon's offer. I can't just hide something like this from my parents. It doesn't feel right. But I need to find Gaia and I'm sure he can help me do it. Ugh, all this is so frustrating!
The bus arrives and the whole way I'm trying to decide what to do. Later when I'm almost home, I still have no idea what to do.
I open the door, using the keys under the vase. I don't expect anyone to be home. Mom and Dad must be at work. I enter and am surprised to find Mom in the living room.
"Mom, what are you doing here?"
"Hecate? Shouldn't you be at school?"
We look at each other, understanding none of us could go on with the routine with everything going on.
"Come here, honey."
I go and sit beside her on the sofa
"We haven't had time to talk, really talk about everything. How are you feeling?"
"I..am fine, I guess. Okay, it's strange to find out your family has strange supernatural abilities but still.. I guess I can take it. The only thing worrying me right now is Gaia."
"I know. It's the only thing I think about."
"Mom, how are you going to find out where she is? What if she isn't here, in the human world, anymore?" I ask, trying not to make it too clear that I knew she wasn't here.
She looks at me, without answering.
"Hecate, love, do you trust me?"
What a strange question, of course I do.
"Yes."
"Then don't try to find out where Gaia is. I'm going to bring her back, I promise. I want you to stay away from all this."
How can she ask me something like this?
"Mom it's Gaia we're talking about. How can you even expect me to sit and watch, doing nothing?"
"Sometimes it's the best thing to do, my dear. I'm not going to involve you in all this."
I just can't believe this. Why does she treat me as a kid? Fine. If she doesn't want to involve me, I'll do it on my own.
"Hec, do you understand? You have to stay away from all this."
I don't answer. I am not going to wait and watch, while my sister is in danger.
So I just get up and walk away.

Next morning I go to the café early. The whole way I wonder if I'm taking the right decision. Once inside, I take a free seat and try to ignore my doubts and worries.
I have to save Gaia. This is the only way I can do it.
I'm still talking to myself when the door opens. Daemon comes in and it's like the whole café falls silent. With his white T-shirt, black leather jacket and dark blue ripped jeans, he captures everyone's attention.
He looks around till he finds me and my breath gets stuck. We stare at each other for a second. Then, he starts coming towards me.
Calm down, Hec. You can do it. Think about Gaia.
"Hi"
"Hi"
We look at each other, unsure what to say or do. He takes the seat in front of me and orders a cappuccino.
"So.. What have you decided?"
Right to the point.
"I.."
Too late to back down.
"I'm with you. I won't tell my parents about us" I feel heat on my cheeks. The word "us", as in him and me together, sounded too intimate. "I mean that we're working together."
Daemon smiles. It's a small smile, but still better than yesterday.
"Good but why did you decide to work with me and not your parents?"
I hesitate, unsure how to answer.
"They don't want me to get involved in all this, but I can't just sit around and do nothing. My sister is in danger, who knows where she is, if she's hurt or worst.." I pause, saying it out loud is almost unbearable
"Have you thought that maybe your parents are right? That maybe it's really dangerous?"
When did he join Team Hecate's Overprotective Parents?
"I'm not a fool. I know it's dangerous but I'm not a small child. It's my decision to make and I've decided I want to bring my sister back. By hook or by crook."
He starts laughing.
"You amaze me. I've never met someone as stubborn as you, Caty"
This time, I have butterflies in my stomach when he uses this stupid nickname. Damn him for having this effect on me.
"So what are we going to do?"
He turns serious and looks around the café.
"Maybe I know who took your sister, the world she is in."
This news brings happiness and relief.
"What are we waiting for then? We should go there right now!"
The waitress brings the cappuccino just then and we wait for her to leave before speaking again. I don't want her to call an asylum by listening us talk about different worlds and strange creatures. Can't blame her, I would have done the same a few days ago.
When she leaves, Daemon hesitates before speaking. He looks nervous.
"It's not that easy."
My happiness is short lived.
"What do you mean?"
"The one who took her is really, really dangerous. I've only heard of him. It's not easy to reach this world either. It would be a suicide mission."
"But we have to do something."
Knowing Gaia is in such a place with such people makes me feel nauseous.
"We have to find out more information about all this. We have no real idea of what we are fighting against. I'm sure this unbalance has something to do with your sister. We have to know more about Him and His world."
"Who is He?" I ask again, yesterday he hadn't told me.
" I don't really know his name. People call him with different names or just the one who can't be named. The names are really important in our worlds. Your name is given to you at your birth and it's related to your destiny, your future and your powers. We never tell our names to anyone easily. In fact, that's why almost everyone knows me as Prince. When I first met you, you told me your sister's name. It could have been a very bad mistake if it were someone else and not me. Hecate, for example, means 'far off'. You're a Traveller and you can go far off in different worlds."
I stare at him dumb-struck. What the..? Here goes another thing to add to the list 'Crazy Things I'm Getting To Know Recently'
"How do you know I'm a Traveller?"
"Because I can't read you. Your mother is a Traveller as well, although now her powers are not the same as before. I could never read her and I can't read you either. I don't know anything about you. I can just feel your emotions when they are strong."
He looks frustrated that he can't read me like other people. I, on the other hand, am really grateful for this.
I wonder what his real name is. Daemon must be a fake name or a short form. Obviously, he wouldn't tell me so I don't bother to ask.
Then something comes to my mind
"Does that mean my parents' names are fake too?" That would be hard to process.
"No, they aren't. When your parents arrived in the human world, they thought they had left everything behind. I'm sure they wanted a normal life and wanted to start it with their real names." He says, hardly suppressed anger clear in his tone.
That's good. I couldn't take another lie.
"Why are my Mom's powers weaker than before?" Is there a rule that after some years your powers start going away?
"It's not my story to tell."
He looks away. Okay, something is wrong.
Guess, this is part of that big "secret" Mom didn't want to talk about.
I decide to change the topic.
"So what does Gaia mean? Earth, right?"
"Gaia is the creator of the Earth and the universe." He pauses, considering Gaia's name's meaning "I have no idea what it could mean. There are a lot of possibilities."
The creator of the universe? What could it possibly mean?
Somehow I knew it was important. Gaia, was important. A pawn in a very dangerous game, Mom had said. But the question was Why?